Troubles of an Ichibi
by super-rat
Summary: Hidden in Subaku no Gaara’s mind, Ichibi no Shukaku is reflecting on the past. ShukInSaku
1. Chapter 1

**More story I guess…umm, not much to say this time, might or might not have a second part with Sakura and Inner but who knows. Under "Gaara" and "Sakura" cause there ain't no "Shukaku". Blargh. Theres a Kyuubi…so why not a Shukaku?! sighs**

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The great sand beast licked his lips, watching the pink haired maiden from within his cage. She turned around and smiled, though it was not to him but to the boy. She then turned to greet the brat's two siblings. He didn't mind. The boy found this female fascinating and Shukaku wanted the boy to claim her. He pulled back his lips, revealing sharp teeth and growled at the boy. He would not listen. He should. He had helped the boy in his past with his grief and sadness. Shukaku remembered the first time the boy had truly killed. It was the night that the boy had carved out the 'Ai' symbol on his forehead. When the boy had finished with that task the boy had asked Shukaku what to do. Shukaku had answered the boy:

"**Kill****,"** He had whispered**, "Kill everyone in your way and prove your existence! Show them who you are, and they will not forget you! Make them suffer!" **

Shukaku leaned back against the bars and mused over the memory. He then focused his gaze upon his Jinchuuriki's mate and sighed. How long had it been since they had met her? He remembered that three years ago there was that loud boy, that…_Kyuubi…_ Jinchuuriki who had shown his Jinchuuriki that there was other ways to exist. The boy made friends with that loud blonde, but Shukaku had never truly liked that idiot. His Jinchuuriki had gathered his nerve one time and asked him why.

Shukaku had stared at him for a long time. The boy had finally shrugged and left. Shukaku would not answer. He started to snarl as he remembered what had happened. At that time when the noisy boy had punched his container Shukaku had heard him.

_That_ fox.

Kyuubi

and he was_ laughing. _

_At him._

The sand beast growled darkly as he thought of him. He remembered what he heard right before he fell back into the brat's mind:

"**You're pathetic! Such a weak child…heh…even my brat can defeat you…heh!"**

Shukaku had snarled right back at him:

"**This boy will defeat yours one day! You watch!"**

Shukaku pulled his mind out of the old memory and firmly gripped the bars of his cage. His grip tightened he felt this texture a million times and it never broke.

_Only if I will it._

The boy had told him quietly.

Shukaku closed his eyes. He found it hard to concentrate on anything. This blinding rage had consumed him for so long, he wanted revenge.

The boy's voice came again.

_Calm down. Tonight__ you may kill._

Shukaku opened his eyes slowly at those words. He had not been out for three years.

**You serious kid? I can really come out?**

_Yes. Tonight, on the full moon, you may raise your head and roar._

Two yellow eyes that were seething anger had calmed. Slowly a feral grin spread on his face, which passed to the boy causing a shudder to pass between the two siblings that were present. Sakura stared at the boy who was grinning. An eyebrow rose. Shukaku heard his container laugh and he joined in, causing fear and panic. But what the boy loved was the girl who refused to be intimidated. She just smiled and turned away telling the boy that she'd be right back.

Shukaku slowly felt control in his reach once more. He licked his lips. He could taste the girl already.

_Don't you dare. That's mine._

Shukaku laughed softly as he watched her leave the room.

**I know that. Don't worry. She****'s yours!**

Shukaku stretched and paced towards the window and lent out. He smelled the sand and the village. There was hardly any fear. But that would change soon.

**Tonight, I will indeed roar!**

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**Oooh! Can't believe I wrote this! :D**

**Well, I can, but…:D**

**xXWolf-SongXx beta'd this. REALLY HAPPY! **

**Beta's Note: I didn't need to Beta this; it was already a great story! I think Stefi really captured the essence of Shukaku :D**

**Somewhat different to my other stories…**

**Oh well! :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**Surprise! I'm back with the next (and last) chapter! Enjoy!**

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Sakura sat up slowly on her bed straining her ears, listening intently at the sounds of the night, not certain of what had woken her.

The digital clock stated twelve thirty in blazing red numbers, which temporarily blinded her to all that surrounded her, coating her room into blackness until she turned away from the clock and towards the window.

She maneuvered herself from the tangle of sheets she had made during the night and put her feet on the low-cut carpet only to recoil as her feet touched an unfamiliar substance. Her night vision was good enough to make some sort of floating particles which had risen when her feet connected with it. In her mind she heard Inner Sakura yawn. Inner rubbed her eyes and asked,

**What's up, girl? Why up so early?**

Sakura felt her Inner flexing her limbs which, really, were her own limbs, therefore Inner could test the strength of both their chakra which flowed through them.

_Well for one thing, there is something on the floor, but something else woke me up. _

Sakura replied to her half-asleep Inner. She lowered her feet cautiously into the swirling substance once more. It floated around her feet gently brushing the skin on her ankles.

_Is…is it…sand? Why would sand be in Konoha?_

…**You DO remember where we are right? We are in Suna. Not Konoha! SUNA!**

_Oh yeah. I forgot that…_

Inner slapped her forehead.

**Hey, it probably just got blown in. Don't worry about it!**

Sakura raised her arms above her head and stretched them.

**But…the window's closed…**

Sakura shook her head slowly, amazed at how stupid her Inner could get. Suddenly she blinked.

_Wait…what?_

**The. Window. Is. Closed. Get it?**

Sakura blinked for a moment and stepped of the bed. The sand swirled around her lazily. She bent down and reached out a hand for the sand.

It wound around her wrist.

Sakura breathing hitched. There was only one person that she knew who could control sand like that. The Godaime Kazekage. AKA Subaku no Gaara.

Inner said nothing for a moment as the information sunk in.

**Right. First things first. Get that sand outta here! Sakura! Open the window!**

Inner then posed, pointing towards the window.

_No need to be so dramatic…_Sakura grumbled to her other self as she headed towards the mentioned object. After unlocking the window Sakura slid it open only to find that it stuck halfway up.

_That's just great…_

Sakura sighed in defeat five minutes later after much tugging and swearing. She didn't lose her temper which was a good thing. The hotel would've needed repairs on the whole wall if she did.

She looked down at the floor the sand had now woven around her bed posts, covered her pillow and was makings its way slowly towards her legs.

**What's he up to…Using his sand like this….it's not like him.**

Sakura agreed silently with her, as she sidestepped the incoming sand. It was still taking its sweet time.

**There is no way he's doing this. It's like he's cornering us!**

_We ARE cornered. The door's been held in place by sand. The window's to small for us to squeeze out of and more sand is coming in._

…**Wait…What if…It's not Gaara? What if it's Shukaku?**

_What? You think Shukaku's doing this?_

**Uh-huh. Remember today? When Gaara suddenly started laughing? I'm sure that tanuki was behind it. They were probably planning something.**

Sakura remembered that. He had in fact started laughing for no apparent reason but Inner's idea made sense. And there was something rather dangerous about that laugh.

**It's the I-am-in-a-creepy-possessed-mood-and-you-can't-do-anything-about-it laugh. By the way, I think it would be a great idea if we escaped now.** **So open that window!**

The sand had slithered up her legs and was slowly spreading around. It had gotten quiet close to her inner thighs. That alone had caused Sakura to panic.

_Are you NUTS?! I can't do that! And this sand is creeping me out!_

**Fine. I'll do it.**

Sakura suddenly felt an enormous surge of chakra as her mind was shoved aside while Inner took over. Sakura's eyes went from a panicky green to absolutely white. If any one gazed upon her now they would say she looked down right scary. Indeed, when Inner had a goal she saw it through whether it be eating a whole cake or smashing Naruto's face in, she did it. Although recently Sakura had grown strong, but Inner was always that tad stronger, so if Sakura ever needed help she asked Inner. Especially if it was something annoying and stubborn. Right now though Inner stormed her way to the window, grasped it at the bottom and heaved. It smashed up at the top with such force that the glass broke.

**Hmph. Piece of cake!**

_You broke the window!_

**Ah, shut up!**

With that, Inner leapt out of the window, inserted chakra into her feet and stuck to the roof next door. In two steps she was on a flat surface. She gazed at the village before tilting her head towards the sky. Suddenly she felt a presence behind her. Before she could turn around and face her 'friend' she found that she couldn't move thanks to the sand which bound her.

_Ok, now what?_

**I don't know! I…wait…**

Inner broke off the contact listening to the footsteps behind her. They were slow but somehow foreboding. The figure was now behind her running his fingers through her hair. They were clawed-tipped, which could easily flick out and slash her neck. She felt the slightly unstable chakra levels of her enemy.

**Hmm…he's excited about something…**

_Well don't blame me. This is your own fault. Breaking the window like that…_

Inner sniggered out loud stopping sharply as the attacker slid his arms around her waist. They had muscle, with dark blue markings on them. One arm slid up towards her face stroking her cheek with two clawed fingers. Skin was pierced and blood dripped onto the waiting fingers. She heard a soft chuckle as the fingers that held the blood were licked clean. She could just imagine the feral grin which had spread across the sand demons face.

"**Surprise…"**

The arms were around her waist once more as Inner encountered a warm and hard chest.

"**Like heck it is. Do you realize I could punch you into oblivion?"**

Inner struggled against the sand that held her in place but to no avail. So instead she lent back and relaxed against the hold of the tanuki.

"**Alright. Whatda ya want?"** Inner asked as the sand turned her around to face him. Gleaming golden eyes pierced her own.

…_you really do feel something for that demon don't you?_

**What, you never noticed?**

A sigh brought her back towards the Bijuu in question. Messy golden hair with hints of blue had leaned against her shoulder. The sand which held her arms slid off slowly and Inner raised them and pulled Shukaku into a hug.

"**How are we feeling today, hmm? Haven't seen you in ages…"**

Her fingers were slowly working through his hair massaging his head. He turned his head and smiled slightly.

"**Better then I was. Always will be when your around…"**

He mumbled that last bit into her neck, but was slowly traveling upward and stopped near her ear.

"**Say what you will, I've found myself falling for you...Inner Sa-ku-ra…"**

He bit her ear hard enough to draw blood which contrasted against the pale skin on Inner who was struggling with her own thoughts.

_Keep it together! Just say "I love you too" its easy!_

**NO ITS NOT! I. Can't. Say. It! Its to hard! ARGH!**

"**Talking to yourself again? Heheh…that's the first step to becoming crazy…"**

**THAT STUPID TANUKI IS DEAD!**

_NO! Just tell him!_

Inner was so concentrated with her struggling she never noticed that the sand had slipped off completely.A sudden cold gust of wind brought her to her senses.

Shukaku had retreated a little and folded his arms across his chest not unlike Gaara.

He smiled a little before vanishing into sand. Inner caught his words:

"**I'll come back for you, my love…"**

5 minutes later a pink haired ninja had slipped in a hotel quietly through the window and examined her room. There was no sign of any sand at all. The only problem was her window which was still shattered from Inner's roughness.

_I'm gonna have to pay for that in the morning…_

Inner remained silent and Sakura collapsed on the bed. She fell asleep almost immediately, exhausted from the encounter. Inner waited until she was sure Sakura woudn't hear her and took over quietly. It wasn't her way so it was easy to be unnoticed. She sat up slowly and walked to the window. Her voice was carried into the wind.

"**I love you too…stupid tanuki…"**

Somewhere in Suna, on a tall building, was a lone figure listening to the wind. After a moment he vanished into the wind with swirls of sand.

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**Took me a while to put this on paper…hope ya liked it! :D**

…**erm… soppy ending?**


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